Learning with Dr. D

By Aliesje King,
Graduate Student

Trying to put a highlight on my time with Dr. Dale Gentry and the wonderfully small group of grad students that make up my academics clan is quite a task. Natural Science is something I am just learning to articulate. My Social Science background gives me aid when it comes to statistics or random analysis, but getting out in the field and studying the natural world is something I used to do in my “free time.”

In my past it was an adventure in and of itself. I questioned why things moved and reacted the way they did, but my hypotheses were based on solely personal experiences. In Dale’s class I was able to take my hypothesizing skills to a whole new level.

In truth, clichés flood my mind as I look around at the group with whom I was (and am) so privileged to learn. They are brilliant and intuitive, they speak and laugh well. We are small, only 6 of the 16 sat together and listened and learned with Dr. Dale. We perched in the middle of the sage brush: something this ex-Idahoan used to hate, and listened to Dale (with lovely humor) tell us about the very meticulous Lek’s of our fellow inhabitants (the Sage Grouse) use to attract their mates. I was in awe as I looked down at the desert ground in front of me and noticed, not a bunch of dirt, but rather several species of plants I had never seen before. We talk of birds and patterns of migration, of aspens and their intertwined roots. Our awe was evident as we stood at the spot Ansel Adams took his famous picture of the Snake River winding in front of the Teton Range. We geeked out over scientific names: lodge pole pine being our favorite (look it up if you are interested). The seven of us explored the pros and cons of fire management, and even had an existential conversation about humanistic approaches to land management as a whole.

Overall my time with my fellow grad students, and Dale Gentry was inspirational and I left my week believing I am truly moving toward not solely being a Social Scientist, but evolving to a Natural one as well.